§ 12-3230. Depositions upon oral examination.

A.  WHEN DEPOSITIONS MAY BE TAKEN; WHEN LEAVE REQUIRED.

1.  A party may take the testimony of any person, including a party, by deposition upon oral examination without leave of court except as provided in paragraph 2 of this subsection.  The attendance of witnesses may be compelled by subpoena as provided in Section 2004.1 of this title.

2.a.              A party shall obtain leave of court, if the person to be examined is confined in prison, or if, without the written stipulation of the parties:

(1)              the person to be examined already has been deposed in the case, or

(2)              a party seeks to take a deposition prior to the expiration of thirty (30) days after service of the summons and petition upon any defendant unless the notice contains a certification, with supporting facts, that the person to be examined is expected to leave this state and will be unavailable for examination in this state unless deposed before that time.

b.              A request for leave of court shall include a statement that the requesting party has in good faith conferred or attempted to confer either in person or by telephone with the opposing parties to obtain a written stipulation.

3.  Unless otherwise agreed by the parties or ordered by the court, a deposition upon oral examination shall not last more than six (6) hours and shall be taken only between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on a day other than a Saturday or Sunday and on a date other than a holiday designated in Section 82.1 of Title 25 of the Oklahoma Statutes.  The court may grant an extension of these time limits if the court finds that the witness or counsel has been obstructive or uncooperative or if the court finds it to be in the interest of justice.

B.  PLACE WHERE WITNESS OR PARTY IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND TAKING OF DEPOSITIONS.

1.  A witness shall be obligated to attend to give a deposition only in the county of his or her residence, a county adjoining the county of his or her residence or the county where he or she is located when the subpoena is served.

2.  A party, in addition to the places where a witness may be deposed, may be deposed in the county where the action is pending or the county where he or she is located when the notice is served.

C.  NOTICE OF EXAMINATION; GENERAL REQUIREMENTS; SPECIAL NOTICE; NONSTENOGRAPHIC RECORDING; PRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS AND THINGS; DEPOSITION OF ORGANIZATION; DEPOSITION BY TELEPHONE.

1.  A party desiring to take the deposition of any person upon oral examination shall give notice in writing to every other party to the action.  The notice shall state the time and place for taking the deposition and shall state the name and address of each person to be examined, if known, and, if the name is not known, a general description sufficient to identify the person or the particular class or group to which the person belongs.  The notice shall be served in order to allow the adverse party sufficient time, by the usual route of travel, to attend, and three (3) days for preparation, exclusive of the day of service of the notice.

If a subpoena duces tecum is to be served on the person to be examined, the designation of the materials to be produced, as set forth in the subpoena, shall be attached to or included in the notice.

2.  The court may for cause shown enlarge or shorten the time for taking the deposition and for notice of taking the deposition.

3.  a.The parties may stipulate in writing or the court may upon motion order that the testimony at a deposition be recorded by other than stenographic means.  Unless good cause is shown to the contrary, such motions shall be freely granted.  The stipulation or order shall designate the person before whom the deposition shall be taken, the manner of recording, preserving, and filing the deposition, and may include other provisions to assure that the recorded testimony will be accurate and trustworthy.  If the deposition is recorded by other than stenographic means, the party taking the deposition shall upon request by any party or the witness furnish a copy of the deposition to the witness.  The party taking the deposition may furnish either a stenographic copy of the deposition or a copy of the deposition as recorded by other than stenographic means.

b.Any recording of testimony other than by stenographic means shall begin with an on-the-record statement that shall include: the recording officer’s name and business address; the date, time and place of the deposition; the deponent’s name; and the identity of all persons present at the deposition.  The recording shall also include the administration of the oath or affirmation to the deponent.  The appearance or demeanor of the deponent and attorneys shall not be distorted through recording techniques.

c.Any objections under subsection D of this section, any changes made by the witness, the signature of the witness identifying the deposition as his or her own or the statement of the officer that is required if the witness does not sign, as provided in subsection F of this section, and the certification of the officer required by subsection G of this section shall be set forth in a writing to accompany a deposition recorded by nonstenographic means.

d.Any party may designate in a notice of deposition, or in a counter-notice of deposition, another method for recording the testimony in addition to stenographic means.  The party designating another method of recording shall bear the expense of the additional record unless the court orders otherwise.

4.  The notice to a party deponent may be accompanied by a request made in compliance with Section 3234 of this title for the production of documents and tangible things at the taking of the deposition.  The procedure of Section 3234 of this title shall apply to the request.

5.  A party may in the notice and in a subpoena name as the deponent a public or private corporation or a partnership or association or governmental agency and describe with reasonable particularity the matters on which examination is requested.  In that event, the organization so named shall designate one or more officers, directors, or managing agents, or other persons who consent to testify on its behalf, and may set forth, for each person designated, the matters on which that person will testify.  Such designation of persons to testify and the subject of the testimony shall be delivered to the other party or parties prior to or at the commencement of the taking of the deposition of the organization.  A subpoena shall advise a nonparty organization of its duty to make such a designation.  The persons so designated shall testify as to matters known or reasonably available to the organization.

This paragraph does not preclude taking a deposition by any other procedure authorized in the Oklahoma Discovery Code.

6.  The parties may stipulate in writing or the court may upon motion order that a deposition be taken by telephone or other remote electronic means.  For the purposes of this section, subsection A of Section 3228, and paragraphs 1 of subsections A and B of Section 3237 of this title, a deposition taken by such means is taken in the county and state and at the place where the deponent is to answer questions.

D.  EXAMINATION AND CROSS-EXAMINATION; RECORD OF EXAMINATION; OATH; OBJECTIONS.  Examination and cross-examination of witnesses may proceed as permitted at the trial under the provisions of Section 2101 et seq. of this title except Section 2104.  The officer before whom the deposition is to be taken shall put the witness on oath or affirmation and shall personally, or by someone acting under his or her direction and in his or her presence, record the testimony of the witness.  The testimony shall be taken stenographically or recorded by any other method authorized by paragraph  3 of subsection C of this section.

All objections made at the time of the examination to the qualifications of the officer taking the deposition, to the manner of taking it, to the evidence presented, to the conduct of any party, or to any other aspect of the proceedings shall be noted by the officer upon the record of the deposition; however, the examination shall proceed, with the testimony being taken subject to the objections.

In lieu of participating in the oral examination, parties may serve written questions in a sealed envelope on the party taking the depositions and that party shall transmit them to the officer, who shall propound them to the witness and record the answers verbatim.

E.  MOTION TO TERMINATE OR LIMIT EXAMINATION.

1.  Any objection to evidence during a deposition shall be stated concisely and in a nonargumentative and nonsuggestive manner.  A party may instruct a deponent not to answer only when necessary to preserve a privilege or work product protection, to enforce a limitation on evidence directed by the court, to present a motion under paragraph 2 of this subsection, or to move for a protective order under subsection C of Section 3226 of this title.  If the court finds a person has engaged in conduct which has frustrated the fair examination of the deponent, it may impose upon the persons responsible an appropriate sanction, including the reasonable costs and attorney fees incurred by any parties as a result thereof.

2.  At any time during the taking of the deposition, on motion of a party or of the deponent and upon a showing that the examination is being conducted in bad faith or in such manner as unreasonably to annoy, embarrass or oppress the deponent or party, the court in which the action is pending or the court in the county where the deposition is being taken may order the officer conducting the examination to cease taking the deposition, or may limit the scope and manner of the taking of the deposition as provided in subsection C of Section 3226 of this title.  If the order entered terminates the examination, it shall be resumed thereafter only upon the order of the court in which the action is pending.  Upon demand of the objecting party or deponent, the taking of the deposition shall be suspended for the time necessary to make a motion for the order provided for in this section.  The provisions of paragraph 4 of subsection A of Section 3237 of this title apply to the award of expenses incurred in relation to the motion.

F.  REVIEW BY WITNESS; CHANGES; SIGNING.  The deponent shall have the opportunity to review the transcript of the deposition unless such examination and reading are waived by the deponent and by the parties.  After being notified by the officer that the transcript is available, the deponent shall have thirty (30) days in which to review it and, if there are changes in form or substance, to sign a statement reciting such changes and the reasons given by the deponent for making them.  The officer shall indicate in the certificate prescribed by paragraph 1 of subsection G of this section whether any review was requested and, if so, shall append any changes made by the deponent during the period allowed.

G.  CERTIFICATION AND FILING BY OFFICER; EXHIBITS; COPIES; NOTICE OF FILING.

1.  The officer shall certify on any stenographic deposition:

a.the qualification of the officer to administer oaths, including the officer’s certificate number,

b.that the witness was duly sworn by the officer,

c.that the deposition is a true record of the testimony given by the witness, and

d.that the officer is not a relative or employee or attorney or counsel of any of the parties, or a relative or employee of the attorney or counsel, and is not financially interested in the action.

Except on order of the court or unless a deposition is attached to a motion response thereto, is needed for use in a trial or hearing, or the parties stipulate otherwise, depositions shall not be filed with the court clerk.  The officer shall securely seal any stenographic deposition in an envelope endorsed with the title of the action and marked "Deposition of (here insert name of witness)" and send it to the attorney who arranged for the deposition, who shall store it under conditions that will protect it against loss, destruction, tampering, or deterioration.

Documents and things produced for inspection during the examination of the witness shall, upon the request of a party, be marked for identification and annexed to the deposition and may be inspected and copied by any party.  If the person producing the materials desires to retain them he may:

a.Offer copies to be marked for identification and annexed to the deposition and to serve as originals if he affords to all parties fair opportunity to verify the copies by comparison with the originals, or

b.Offer the originals to be marked for identification, after giving to each party an opportunity to inspect and copy them, in which event the materials may then be used in the same manner as if annexed to the deposition.  Any party may move for an order that the original be annexed to and returned with the deposition to the court, pending final disposition of the case.

2.  Each attorney who takes the deposition of a witness or of a party shall bear all expenses thereof, including the cost of transcription, and shall furnish upon request to the adverse party or parties, free of charge, one copy of the transcribed deposition.  If the party taking the deposition recorded it on videotape or by other nonstenographic means, that party shall also furnish upon request to the adverse party or parties, free of charge, one copy of the videotape or other recording of the deposition.

H.  FAILURE TO ATTEND OR TO SERVE SUBPOENA; EXPENSES.

1.  If the party giving the notice of the taking of a deposition fails to attend and proceed therewith and another party attends in person or by attorney pursuant to the notice, the court may order the party giving the notice to pay to the other party the reasonable expenses incurred by the attending party and his or her attorney in attending, including reasonable attorney fees.

2.  If the party giving the notice of the taking of a deposition of a witness fails to serve a subpoena upon the witness and the witness because of such failure does not attend, and if another party attends in person or by attorney because he or she expects the deposition of that witness to be taken, the court may order the party giving the notice to pay to such other party the reasonable expenses incurred by that party and his or her attorney in attending, including reasonable attorney fees.

I.  WITNESS FEES.

1.  The attendance and travel fees for a witness shall be paid as provided in Section 400 of this title.

2.  A party deponent must attend the taking of a deposition without the payment or tender of attendance or travel fees.

J.  TAXING OF COSTS OF DEPOSITIONS.  The cost of transcription of a deposition, as verified by the statement of the certified court reporter, the fees of the sheriff for serving the notice to take depositions and fees of witnesses shall each constitute an item of costs to be taxed in the case in the manner provided by law.  The court may upon motion of a party retax the costs if the court finds the deposition was unauthorized by statute or unnecessary for protection of the interest of the party taking the deposition.

Added by Laws 1982, c. 198, § 7.  Amended by Laws 1986, c. 227, § 7, eff. Nov. 1, 1986; Laws 1986, c. 299, § 7, operative July 1, 1986; Laws 1989, c. 129, § 6, eff. Nov. 1, 1989.  Renumbered from Title 12, § 3207 by Laws 1989, c. 129, § 14, eff. Nov. 1, 1989.  Amended by Laws 1994, c. 343, § 15, eff. Sept. 1, 1994; Laws 1996, c. 61, § 5, eff. Nov. 1, 1996; Laws 1999, c. 293, § 22, eff. Nov. 1, 1999; Laws 2002, c. 468, § 74, eff. Nov. 1, 2002; Laws 2005, c. 66, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2005; Laws 2010, c. 50, § 5, eff. Nov. 1, 2010.